A Child's Trust
by Sarah36396
Summary: Peter Parker is struggling after attending Tony Stark's funeral. He escapes outside to get away from everyone else, but finds an unexpected friend. Set after the end of Endgame. One-shot. Peter Parker, Morgan Stark, Pepper Potts.


Peter Parker sighed as he stepped outside on the porch, glad to finally get away from all the people inside. Pepper had invited everyone to dinner after Tony's funeral and although Peter was glad to see his friends safe and in the same room, his heart just wasn't in socializing. He had excused himself as drinks were poured and conversations started anew and escaped outside while he had the chance. The last thing he wanted to do right now was be trapped in a room as people talked about Tony.

He followed the wrap around porch to the back of the house where he could look out over the lake. He leaned against the rail and took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm that raged inside of him. How was it fair that he was alive when so many had died to bring him back? Sure, they were fighting for loved ones of their own, but he had been one of the souls saved by the death of someone else. He squeezed the railing with his hands and his jaw clenched. It just wasn't fair.

He heard a sniff from behind him and he spun around, surprised to find that a little girl was sitting just outside the backdoor. She had several plastic ponies in front of her, along with several superhero figurines. She wasn't really playing, just sitting there with a pony in hand. Her eyes were sad and he watched as she wiped a hand across her face. Peter's heart pounded in his chest as he realized just who he was looking at. How had he missed her when he walked over here? He took a step towards her, hesitating. What was he even supposed to say? "Hey, you don't know me, but I knew your dad?" or "Hey, I knew your dad?" No, Peter knew those lines all too well and he hated them.

"Um, hi." He said finally, crouching down opposite of the little girl.

"Hello." She said softly. She looked up at him and he was surprised to see a look of recognition is her face. "Hey, I know you."

"You do?" Peter's brows rose.

"Yeah, you're Peter. My daddy talked about you a lot."

"Did he?" Peter swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Yeah. There's a picture of you in the house." She said matter-of-factly.

"That's cool." Peter ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you're Morgan then." He smiled.

"Mhm. Good guess." She sighed and sat the pony in her hand down.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I got tired of everyone telling me they were sorry." She shrugged.

"I know what you mean." Peter sighed and sat down, crossing his legs. "Those are some cool ponies you have there."

"I guess." She wrinkled her nose. "Can you help me?" She held out a pony. "I can't get this tangle out of her mane."

"Sure." Peter reached over and took the pony. "Got a brush?"

"Yeah." She went to grab it and before she could Peter shot a strand of web and grabbed it, pulling it towards him. "Woah." Her eyes went wide. "That is cool."

"Glad someone thinks so." He chuckled and used the tiny pink comb and his nimble fingers to carefully untangle the pony's mane. "So what do you like to do fun miss Morgan?"

"Tinker with stuff." She grinned. "I like to sneak into daddy's workshop sometimes."

"Oh really?" Peter smiled. "Your dad must've been proud of that."

"He was." She grinned back at him. "What do you do for fun?"

"Um," Peter scratched his head. "Get into trouble. At least that is what your dad would have told me." He laughed and Morgan giggled.

"I like you."

"Oh yeah? I like you too." He smiled and handed her back the tangle free pony. "Here ya go kiddo."

"Thanks Peter." She grinned at him, although her eyes were still sad. They sat together in silence for a while until she finally looked up at him again. "I miss my daddy."

"I know…me too." He sighed. Morgan crawled to her feet and moved to stand beside him. She hesitated a moment before hugging him, her little arms wrapping around his neck. Peter hugged her back and found it hard to swallow the lump in his throat. Tony might be dead, but his legacy would live on in this little girl right here. And in that moment Peter knew why he did what he did, how he was able to do what he did.

The back door opened and Peter turned Morgan loose, but not before the woman standing there saw them. She smiled sad kind of smile and wiped the tears from her eyes. Morgan ran over to her and hugged her legs before the woman picked her up and pressed a kiss to her head.

"Hi mommy."

"Hey sweetheart. What are you doing out there?" She brushed the girls hair back from her cheek.

"Just wanted to be alone. Then Peter found me."

"Uh, hi." Peter's hand went to the back of his neck and he held up a hand awkwardly. "I'm Peter."

"I know." Pepper smiled. "It is nice to finally meet you. We've heard a lot about you."

"Wish I could say the same." Peter sighed. "I'm sorry that I couldn't-"

"Don't do that to yourself." She learned against the wall of the house. "It will eat you alive. Tony knew what he was doing."

"I know. I can't stop thinking about it though." Peter ran a hand over his face. "I can't stop thinking about any of it." A tear snaked its way down his cheek. Pepper moved close to him and hugged him with her free arm. Peter swallowed a sob and made a sound, fighting back tears.

"It will just take time, Peter. And it is ok to cry. We all have to cry sometimes."

"Even daddy used to cry." Morgan poked Peter in the chest. "He used to tell me it didn't matter what you had out here, it was what you had in there. And sometimes what is in there makes us cry."

"He really cared for you, you know that, right?" Pepper asked softly. "Before Morgan, before this house and everything that happened, he talked about you all the time. And when Thanos wiped you out…it nearly broke him. I think he'd want you to know that."

"Thanks, Mrs. Stark." He wiped his cheeks before hugging her once more. "Thanks a lot."

"Peter?" He heard his aunt call from somewhere around the front of the house.

"Guess that is my cue to leave." He cleared his throat. "It was really nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Stark."

"Please, call me Pepper. And it was nice to meet you too."

"Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"I like Peter. Can he come back?" She twisted around to look at Peter, a very Tony like expression on her face. "You're gonna come back, aren't you?"

"Of course he can." Pepper smiled. "You're welcome here any time Peter. We'd love if you came to visit. Morgan seems to have taking a liking to you."

"Gee, thanks." Peter scuffed his toe against the porch. "I appreciate that."

"You better promise." Morgan kept one arm around Pepper's neck and propped her free hand on her hip. "Promise?"

"I promise." Peter laughed. "I'll be around. If you need anything, anything at all, please call me." He fished a pen from his pocket and jotted his number down on a gum wrapper.

"Thanks Peter." Pepper smiled and folded the wrapper, slipping it into her pocket.

"Bye Peter!" Morgan waved at him and Peter grinned at them. Tony Stark might be gone, but perhaps he wasn't as far gone as Peter thought. He would live on through his daughter and his wife, and in all the good he had brought the world. Peter vowed in that moment that he would be there for Tony's family whenever they needed him, just like Tony had been there for him. The world might not always need heroes, but Peter would always be there for them.


End file.
